Killers - Issue 590

FaltyDL

‘If All The People Took Acid’

Blueberry

His last EP on Hypercolour was a plethora of dirty acid tracks and 2019 sees Drew Lustman, aka FaltyDL, firing further into the depths of the genre with some even more out-there ideas. Three retro-sounding slabs of driving acid drop this month on his own Blueberry Records imprint. The title track's polyrhythmic bassline and stabs are merged with slow-rising strings in a hypnotising fashion, and this one comes equipped with Octo Octa's 'Loop Me To Infinity Mix', featuring recurring tweaks of modular mindfuckery that'll infect your brain from start to finish. The snarling FX on ‘Flesh Acid’ could be a plane, a racing car, or any other unidentified flying object — either way the sound design will tear through speakers and flip the dancefloor of any club upside down. The buzz of hardware is prevalent and detuned melodies keep this one sounding sinister. Finally, ‘Scream Acid’ does exactly that; horror movie-style squeals play out alongside a tortured, pulsating bassline. These cuts are as petrifying as they are satisfying — 100% hallucination music.

A.Fruit

'Obsession'

Med School

Anyone with an ear for bleeding-edge d&b will be well aware of rising Russian A.Fruit by now. Although only a handful of releases deep, her genre-crossing bass stylings have been turning heads, and this full solo EP for Med School is a statement of intent. Club-ready — whether it be upbeat juke opener ‘Please, Arrive’, or 10-tonne roller ‘Obsession’ — the EP is also primed for home-listening, and don’t miss the sneaky 120 to 160bpm switch-up on ‘Secret Trick’.

Om Unit

'Violet'

Violet

Complete with appropriately smoky artwork, Om Unit’s latest — delivered as a one-off double 10” — wallows in the soupy comfort of high grade haze and globular low-end. Clocking in at 160, but in a lethargical, halftime fashion, space is the name of the game on all four tracks. Eerie bleeps and lashings of dub echo reveal a vast expanse to each soundscape, yet there’s a humid intensity too, a suggestion of swamp if you will, which keeps sweaty basement domination the top priority.

Mental Overdrive

‘Dartrax’

Musar

Blissful mbira melodies mark the beginning of this EP from Mental Overdrive but don't be lulled by the dreamy intro, there’s hard-hitting square bass kicks in at 2.30 amongst the machine drum shuffle. 'Litingu' is a more tribal affair, with a persistent synth-line that cuts through the clatter, but best of the bunch is its DMX Krew remix, with a fast-paced, driving lead and trademark electro bass drum hits that throw this straight into peak-time DJ set territory.

Masalo

‘New Dance’

Rush Hour Store Jams

Masalo is the latest addition to the Rush Hour family, joining revered artists including Hunee, San Proper and Interstellar Funk as a friend of the label. His debut solo production landed on the imprint as an exclusive in-store during ADE last year, and gets a full release now as part of the ever-excellent Store Jams series. The A-side, 'New Dance', is the pick of the pair, an Italo-fuelled floor-heater that's sure to bother end-of-year lists come the close of 2019.

Shanti Celeste & Hodge

‘Soba Dance’

Peach Discs

Two of Bristol's finest exports — Shanti and Hodge — have collaborated for the former’s Peach Discs imprint, and it's a strong EP to start the year. The lead track 'Soba Dance' is welded together with pitched conga lines and hi-hat shuffles, while 'Alula' builds into a tribal frenzy. The more subdued 'Pips' rounds off the EP with warm pads and washed-out rides. Observing all three, there's a solid common ground that's sure to keep both Shanti and Hodge fans happy.